Index Archive

16 January 2015

The story of author who got killed by Mobocracy Tamil writer Perumal Murugan
A Tamil novelist Perumal Murugan from south India announced the demise of his writing career in a Facebook post. The decision, prompted by protests against one of his works, understandably led to concerns about freedom of expression - but it's also a story about caste politics.

His six novels, numerous short stories and other writings, classified as regional fiction, evoke the senses and sounds of peasant life in Kongu Nadu (western Tamil Nadu).

On his Facebook page the author wrote:
Perumal Murugan, the writer is dead. He is not God, so he is not going to resurrect. He does not believe in reincarnation either.

"Author Perumal Murugan has died," the Tamil writer and professor posted on Monday. "He is no god, so he is not going to resurrect himself. Nor does he believe in reincarnation. From now on, Perumal Murugan will survive merely as the teacher he has been."

In year 2010 he wrote a book "Madhorubagan"
Book is set about a century ago near the author's native town of Tiruchengode in southern India.
In the book, a childless couple from the land-owning Gounder caste contemplate participating in a local temple festival ritual - during which a childless woman has sex with a man other than her husband in order to conceive a child.

Mathorubhagan (Other Part Woman, the English translation, came out last year) is a sensitive portrait of the disappointment of a childless peasant couple set in Thiruchengode, a town near Namakkal and close to Erode — the home of the ideologue of Dravidian movement Periyar E V Ramasamy, who spoke and wrote against caste and social dogmas in harsh language. Set in the early years of the 20th century, the novel discusses how the wife is cajoled and convinced by her family to attend a temple ritual that allows a woman to beget a child by entering into sexual union with a stranger. The child born of this union is called sami pillai or God’s child, since the stranger is perceived as a representative of God.

Various organisations, caste outfits in his home town Thiruchengodu, around 410 km from here, protested against his novel "Madorubhagan", whose story revolves around the problems faced by a childless peasant couple and the woman's attempt to get pregnant following a tradition of consensual sex with a stranger.

Murugan said he is recalling all his books, novels and articles and none of his books will be on sale.

He also requested the publishers not to sell his books and promised them to compensate the loss suffered owing to this.

Murugan said those who had bought his books can consign them to flames. He said if they felt that they had suffered a loss then they can return the books to him and get compensated.

He also urged people not to invite him for any literacy functions.

The readers have been advised to burn their copies of his books. The note ends with an appeal to caste, religious, political and other groups to end their protests and leave the writer alone since he has withdrawn all his books

But caste organizations did not like his story , his concept so they protested they protested so much that , it killed the author inside Perumal Murugan

They not killed the author, they murdered the Indian Democracy also as Indian citizens enjoy the freedom of expression but in reality India is not a democratic nation it’s a country ruled by mobs
The one who got the power of stick got the power to rule

G.R. Swaminathan, the lawyer who accompanied writer Perumal Murugan to peace talks has on Thursday come out with a statement describing what happened during the talks.

Below is his statement reproduced in full:

“Some ten days back, Kalachuvadu Kannan called me and sought my intervention in favour of Perumal Murugan. His novel Madhorubagan had become the subject of controversy stirred by certain Hindu outfits. I planned to visit Namakkal and Thiruchengode and talk to the local leaders. The visit did not materialise. However, I met Perumal Murugan in person in Chennai. He struck me as too sensitive, soft and decent. I took him to a few well wishers. All of them expressed their support and solidarity. Perumal Murugan appeared cheered up.

I received another call last Sunday. Perumal Murugan had been called upon by the District Administration to attend the peace talks to be held on 12.01.2015. Perumal Murugan came to my house on 12th morning and we both travelled in my car to Namakkal. En route he was instructed by the local police not to come to the Collectorate straightaway. He was told to remain in his house and he would be taken under escort for peace talks. At my instance, Perumal Murugan insisted that he would come directly to the Collectorate accompanied by me alone. Earlier a group of students wanted to join him but Perumal Murugan felt that students should not be involved. He wanted to avoid any kind of confrontation between the protesters and the students.

When we reached the toll gate at around 5 p.m., we were accosted by a police officer. He instructed us to follow the escort vehicle. We were strictly told that we should enter the Collectorate only through a certain route. On reaching the Collectorate through the back entry, we were taken to the room of the Assistant to the District Revenue Officer, Namakkal. When we were so taken, Perumal Murugan was throughout surrounded by a group of police constables.

During the journey when I told Perumal Murugan that the police are frightening him, he confided that he was made to leave Namakkal only because the police suggested him to exile himself. In the Collectorate, we were kept confined. The DRO who presided over the peace talks did not arrange a face to face meeting with the protestors. She met the protestors separately. Since Perumal Murugan was anxious to close the issue and had already issued two statements, I summarized them in my own hand writing and asked Perumal Murugan to sign the same. I had used the expression “sincere regret”. But the DRO felt that this will not be acceptable to the other side and wanted me to change it as “unconditional apology”. I could not stomach it. I could see that Perumal Murugan was in real agony. I therefore told him to call up his wife and take a decision. His wife Ezhil finally said “alright, if that is what they want, put it in writing”. She anxiously enquired if it would not break his spirit.

We trooped back into DRO’s room. “Sincere regret” became “unconditional apology”. I thought with that everything would be over. Not yet. The DRO asked us to wait in the other chamber. Some fifteen minutes later we were once again summoned. She produced a copy of the statement earlier issued by Perumal Murugan offering to change the name of the place and delete the offending portions in the next edition and to take back the unsold copies. I pointed out that that was given under compulsion in the face of hartal threat earlier. Since the said statement had been ignored and a hartal was held, there was no point in relying on it. But the police and the District Administration insisted that we incorporate those portions also. I could see that Perumal Murugan was literally crumbling within. He literally was on the edge of frustration. He said “write anything, do anything, I accept”. I tried to pacify him but it was of no avail.

During the talks, I became a little emotional and requested the DRO to see from the point of writer’s freedom. She raised her voice and told me that I as an advocate could say anything and walk away. Perumal Murugan has to stay in Namakkal. When I told her not to raise her voice, she told me to leave the place if I wanted. The police did not support Perumal Murugan even a wee bit. The District Administration totally let him down. According to them it was a pure law and order issue. Literary freedom and Article 19 (1) (a) of the Constitution were remote concerns.

I dropped Perumal Murugan in his house and returned to Madurai. My heart was heavy. I could not come to terms with myself. Should I have walked out and taken Perumal Murugan along? Or should we not have attended the peace talks at all? Was it a tactical mistake to have gone there in the first instance? There are no easy answers. Perumal Murugan was clearly uncomfortable being away from his soil. The “exile” was actually draining his spirits. That the exile itself was engineered by the police makes things worse. The District Administration was not willing to stand up by him.

True there was a big support for Perumal Murugan in the media. But the field reality was different. The man and his wife are both employed in Namakkal. They have their roots in Thiruchengode. They just couldn’t stand the thought and reality that the entire town could go against them. The hartal was total and complete. In such circumstances, we had virtually no options. Perumal Murugan did not have the inner wherewithal to brave things out. M.F. Hussain can travel all over the world. But even he had to exile himself from the place of contention. But Perumal Murugan could not do so. He has to be in Namakkal unless he and his wife are favoured with an order of administrative transfer to Chennai.

I was told that the entire campaign against Perumal Murugan has been engineered by certain Hindu outfits. When I spoke to several responsible leaders, all of them told me that they have nothing to do with the agitation against Perumal Murugan. I could only conclude that elements similar to “non-state actors” are on the prowl. Quite a few loose cannons appear to have coalesced together. The persons who signed in the peace minutes had no organizational backing. Caste and religion make a deadly cocktail. Only a strong administration could have dealt with them. It did not. On the other hand, Perumal Murugan was simply thrown to the wolves. Casting pearls before the swine is a futile exercise. But to deadlier beasts, creative freedom is an easy meat.”

Reading G.R.Swaminathan's statement is so heart breaking..I can not believe that these things happened now...I wish this couple get strength to keep peace of mind...How come leaders say that they don't have any thing to do with this? He need high level support.

I bought this book to show solidarity with the author after he was bullied by right wing elements and forced to apologise etc.So this was my statement for freedom of expression. i am against banning any book.And I am glad I did,else i would have missed reading a wonderful book:)

The prose is superb and I can only imagine how beautiful it must be in original tamil. The descriptions of the village and temples and festival crowds etc are superb..makes one feel like going there and being a part of it.The love of ponna and kali,their attraction to each other, their frustration at not being able to bear a child and their relationship with the village folk,family etc who constantly bring up their childlessness and alienate them from rituals and occasions because of this are all wonderfully written.the characters have layers and depth.One can feel the pain of the couple who have to conform to whats acceptable in their society but are relegated to the fringes and made to feel inadequate over something they have no control over.There is nothing controversial in it,no vulgarity and it is a window to a different world.

Overall,its a very fast paced book and I would definitely recommend this book to everyone I know.